New York Stakes a Battleground in Gezora Saga

That the five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown is running multiple horses in a major turf race for females is nothing new. That he is doing so while facing one of his former trainees is. That dynamic adds an unique element to the $750,000 New York Stakes (G1T) June 5 at Saratoga Race Course, where four Brown trainees—Portfolio Duration (GB), Pretty Picture, City Girl (FR), and Kathynmarissa—square off against 2025 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) winner Gezora (FR), who began her 2026 season with Brown before owner Peter Brant transferred her and some other horses Brown trained for him out of his care. Gezora now resides in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The trainer change followed Gezora's upset defeat as the favorite in the May 1 Modesty Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs, her first and only start for Brown. Brown had taken over training duties for her North American campaign after she raced in 2025 for French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. Gezora captured last year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf when shipped to Del Mar by Graffard in the sixth and final start of her season. Brant told Daily Racing Form he was dissatisfied with the conditions and placement in the Modesty, where Gezora conceded weight to her rivals under the allowance conditions of the 1 1/8-mile turf race. She carried 123 pounds, 5 more than Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb's Kathynmarissa, who defeated Gezora by 1 1/4 lengths. Gezora carries 124 pounds in Friday's race, a 1 3/16-mile turf race, though the spread is less pronounced than in the Modesty. Six of her eight rivals, including Kathynmarissa, carry 122 pounds, while the remaining two entrants carry 120 pounds. It is standard for the most accomplished horses to shoulder more weight than their counterparts in races run under allowance or handicap conditions, though differences vary from race to race. Gezora figures to improve with a start under her belt this season and the added distance. The 4-year-old daughter of Almanzor (FR) has worked three times at Saratoga Race Course for Mott in the five weeks since the Modesty. Fellow Hall of Famer John Velazquez picks up the mount aboard the $2.1 million earner, who also captured the prestigious Prix de Diane (G1) at Chantilly Racecourse last year for Graffard. One of the fillies she defeated in the Prix de Diane, third-place finisher Cankoura (FR), also is entered in the New York Stakes as she seeks her first top-level stakes victory. In her three most recent starts in France, she won the Prix de Psyche (G3), finished seventh in the Prix Jean Romanet (G1), and was a close fourth in the Prix Allez France (G3) in her lone start of 2026. Graffard trains Cankoura, a four-time winner from nine starts, for His Highness the Aga Khan's Studs, leaving Graffard in the same position as Brown—taking on a former trainee. "She finished fourth first out this season, and we weren't too disappointed with her," said Nemone Routh, director and French racing manager for The Aga Khan. "She was quite keen that day and fresh. She took a long time to settle, and the rider was under instructions to find cover and settle her. Off the back of that, she came into the straight and hit a bit of a flat spot but then finished her race really well. She had the best sectionals in the straight and that was after having pulled early, so she's a very genuine filly. She breaks well and will be suited by a faster pace." The fractions in the New York Stakes are likely to be modest, however, given the limited early speed in the 1 3/16-mile turf race. Brown's best hopes appear to be Kathynmarissa and Klaravich Stables' Portfolio Duration, who exits a closing second in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs and appears poised to secure a forward position in a race lacking abundant pace. Kathynmarissa possesses a versatile running style, having demonstrated the ability to win from well off the pace or from a prominent early position. "She missed the break last time—I thought she would be on the lead in the race, that was the plan," Brown said of the Modesty. "She was still able to win. We'll see if she can use that race off a layoff and move forward." As for Portfolio Duration, "I'm not sure on the stretch out where she'll put herself," Brown said. "The distance is a little bit of a question mark for her, but it seems like a mile is a touch short, so I didn't want to put her in the Just a Game. We'll see if she can handle a mile and three-sixteenths. She's training super." The remaining three entrants—Bellezza (IRE), Speed Shopper, and Laurelin (IRE)—are all graded stakes winners. The New York Stakes is the 11th of 14 races on Friday's marquee card, with post time scheduled for 5:46 p.m. ET.